Career compass: ASU career advisors point students and alumni toward success

“We're not here to judge them, we're not here to push them in any one direction or another. We're just here to give them support.”

For Michael Connelly, a career advisor at Arizona State University, the objective of ASU’s career advisors is simple: to provide support to students and alumni seeking guidance along their career path. Career advising services range from exploratory to specific, offering students resources to chart their course toward a fulfilling career. This may involve tailored resume review, interview preparation and career exploration resources such as workshops or career-related Canvas courses.

While seniors and recent graduates beginning their job searches are the most common demographic to visit career advisors, appointments are available to students at all points of their academic and professional journeys. Even alumni can schedule time with an advisor to discuss career changes or new pathways to fulfillment.

Walking in with questions about one’s career trajectory, career advisors can equip advisees with the tools needed to answer those questions, whether the answers lie in a step-by-step resume,  a cover letter revision session or identifying their career values.

The first step is assessing what career one is pursuing. Career advisors can offer various tools, such as PathwayU, to provide insight into one’s industry of interest and find the best fit for one’s ideal workplace. From there, career advisors guide advisees through the process of navigating the wide breadth of professional development opportunities available to them, like Parker Dewey Micro-Internships and Forage’s virtual work experiences. Many experiences will contribute transferable skills to a resume, which career advisors can help to accentuate.

When the time comes to prepare for an interview, the advising team is there to help with both virtual and in-person resources, such as BigInterview and mock interviews, to maximize preparation. For those seeking to pivot to a new career, advisors can offer tailored advice to reach new goals.

Career advisors have different specialties that provide them with additional context to add to each session, from a focus on alumni to students enrolled with Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services (SAILS).

Mollie Connelly-MacNeill transitioned from academic advising to career advising after she was affected by a series of chronic illnesses that radically changed her life. Her experience led her to specialize in supporting students and alumni with disabilities, chronic illness and neurodivergence, offering resources and a listening ear to students inside and outside of SAILS.

“I try to look for ways that I can guide people who are not being supported in other ways. I aim to give them empathy, understanding and guidance and up-to-date resources,”Connelly-MacNeill notes.

Michael Connelly focuses on alumni, whether they have graduated recently or 20 years ago. Conversations about career changes or breaks in one’s resume are common, but beyond that, job seekers are seeking fulfillment from their work.

“I have noticed a lot of people wanting a little bit more emotional value to their job rather than just money,” Connelly explains.

“I would say that it's a really big concern finding internships being connected with employers that have missions and values that students support is really big as well,” Connelly-MacNeill echoes.

Madison Haggarton offers career counseling for all populations. As a case manager for a nonprofit organization, she has acquired the skills to be an effective communicator and advocate for adolescents and teens, which has served her well in her role as a career advisor.

One of the most important parts of being a career advisor is being an active listener. In fact, some sessions just involve listening to the advisee’s anxieties with an open heart.

“It can be very emotional, and I often do have emotional conversations where there's no real direct help I'm giving, other than just holding space and talking to someone through their emotions.” Connelly expresses.

“I aim to provide students with any resources that they're looking for and really just actively [listen] to them to kind of see where they currently are in their career journey,” Haggarton elaborates.

Through the transitional period of finding a first job or a new career, career counselors can be instrumental in easing these anxieties by tailoring application materials and sharing resources.

“I love resource sharing and information gathering. I really love talking with people and helping people. The information that I share is super meaningful and valuable. I'm sharing stuff that could potentially change people's lives, which is very, very rewarding to me,” Connelly-MacNeill states.

With career expertise and a listening ear, career advisors have the power to offer so much more than advice.

Mollie Connelly-MacNeill and Michael Connelly can be reached via email. Appointments with Madison Haggarton can be scheduled through Handshake.

Mollie Connelly-MacNeill: Mollie.Connelly@asu.edu

Michael Connelly: Michael.T.Connelly@asu.edu